Cut the Salt!

What does sodium do anyway? In small doses, it balances body fluids, helps transmit nerve impulses, and affects the contraction and relaxation of muscles. Most studies suggest a daily intake between 1,500 and 2,400 mg. (During 2005-2006 the estimated average intake of sodium for persons in the United States age 2 years and older was 3,436 mg per day!) When levels become too high, your kidneys struggle to eliminate enough sodium, and it begins to accumulate in your blood. Now your heart is working harder to pump blood through your vessels, causing pressure in your arteries.

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation suggests the following alternatives to high sodium foods. For labeled items, select foods that are 5 percent or less of the Percent Daily Value for sodium.

Soup’s Out

Avoid: Canned and dehydrated soups, broths, and bouillons
Suggested Alternatives: Low-sodium canned soups (note: even lower-sodium soups are still high in sodium, so check the label), broths, and bouillons

(One cup of Campbell’s Select Minestrone Soup contains 951 mg of sodium. Now, are you crushing up crackers on that soup?)

Other Articles by Heather Ray

The best way to avoid the huge salt content in prepared/frozen foods is to use fresh, and cook from “scratch.”. You are sacrificing “convenience/ease”, but you are bettering your health and extending your life. It’s a choice to make.

Great article for how to cut down on salt. One of the greatest ways of cutting back on salt is to make things at home yourself, from scratch. I know a lot of people will groan at the thought, but not only will you cut the sodium if you’re directly involved in your food’s production, you can usually make it for pennies on the dollar!